The Chinese Zodiac and related personalities
by Jennifer Wilson
Summary: Two men discuss about the Chinese Zodiac and people who are born under them


"Pang Tong, what are you looking at?" Pang Tong was in the midst of chuckling heavily at the slip of paper he was looking at.

"Lord Liu Bei," Pang Tong bowed heavily to his liege. "I was just calculating some of the animal signs of my fellow subjects.

"Oh? What have you got so far." Liu Bei reached for the paper Pang Tong was holding. On it were numerous calculations. Liu Bei saw to his amusement that among them was Guan Yu's and Zhuge Liang's birth years.

"Guan Yu was born under the animal sign of the rat. Some common personality traits are being adaptable and skilful at securing personal gains." Liu Bei stroked his beard thoughtfully. That was somewhat true as Guan Yu had mentioned attempting to search for him while under Cao Cao.

"What about his bad points?" Liu Bei asked.

"One of the negative personality traits is lacking patience." Liu Bei was puzzled at this. Guan Yu did not lack patience, if anything, Zhang Fei was the one who lack patience.

"What about Zhang Fei?"

"I haven't been able to find out the year he was born in, thus I have not calculated which animal sign he is born under. "However, I do think that he is born under the sign of the horse, he being unable to keep his personal feelings to himself." Liu Bei chuckled at this. It would just be like Zhang Fei to be an animated horse. Yes, he could just visualise it all. Zhang Fei rushing about like a steed of fire...

"What about Zhuge Liang? As I recall, he was born twenty years later than me."

"He was born under the animal sign of the rooster. It's bad points being pride and impatience, while its good points are seriousness and foresight." Liu Bei snorted under his breath. That fitted Kong Ming completely. Despite being one of the best talents of his age, he was able to drive any of his enemies crazy. That included people from Wu like Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu.

"How about Zhou Yu? Is he a born under the sign of the dragon?" Liu Bei asked. Pang Tong scribbled on the margin of a book, and snickered.

"He is born under the sign of the rabbit." Pang Tong seemed to be barely holding in his laughter. "He is 'Gentle, intelligent and neat but can be indecisive and conservative.' It's no wonder Kong Ming drove him mad." Liu Bei laughed along with him.

"Cao Pi is also born under the sign of the rabbit. Have you seen any similarities between the two of them?" Pang Tong pointed out.

"It seems that we cannot depend on the horoscope to determine their personalities after all." Liu Bei said thoughtfully. "What about me?"

"You were born under the sign of the tiger as well. It states that those who are born under the tigers are 'highly confident and will go all out to attain his goal but can be rather self centred." Pang Tong shook his head at this description.

"That sounds more like Cao Cao. What about him? Is he a rat as well?" Liu Bei asked.

* * *

><p>Zhao Yun was about to enter the room when laughter suddenly erupted from the room. He looked around before putting his ear to the door.<p>

"A sheep! Honestly, that is the farthest description you can get!" Liu Bei laughed.

"'Persevering and down-to-earth but conservative and averse to change'? That sounds more like some of the lower ranked ministers in Shu, not Cao Cao of all people!" Pang Tong snorted.

Zhao Yun backed away from the door quietly. Apparently they were discussing about the animal zodiac. It wouldn't do well for the rest of the people to learn that he did not have the dragon as his animal sign. That would raise questions.

He stuffed the rooster pouch his mother had made for him under his robe and made way for the war room. Some one else should get them.

* * *

><p><span>Other Famous Personalities<span>

Rat: Su Dongpo (Ming Official), Du Fu (Tang poet), Mozart, Shakespeare, George Washington

Tiger: Qu Yuan (Warring States official), Qin Shihuang (First Emperor), Li Shizhen (Jin Doctor), Sun Yat-sen ('Father of China'), Marco Polo, Karl Marx

Rabbit: Emperor Qianlong (Qing emperor), Albert Einstein

Goat: Yang Guifei (Tang Concubine), Yue Fei (Song Patriotic General), Empress Dowager Cixi (Qing Concubine), Mark Twain, Thomas Edison

Rooster: Confucius (Spring and Autumns Philosopher), Wang Anshi (Ming Official)

Note: All of the animal zodiacs of the above mentioned people in the Three Kingdoms period are true, except for Zhao Yun, which is tentative. If you really want to know, Pang Tong was born under the sign of the monkey (Adaptable and quick witted but restless and lack foresight).


End file.
